Album Review: Brokeback - "Brokeback and the Black Rock"

Keeping busy with his other bands, Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day, it’s been close to 10 years since Douglas McCombs has released a record with his Brokeback project. After recruiting a new band in the fall of 2010 featuring Pete Croke, Chris Hansen, and James Elkington, McCombs has crafted a guitar-fueled instrumental gem that’s worth the wait.

Tracked and mixed by engineer (and Tortoise bandmate) John McEntire, the eight jams on Brokeback and the Black Rock share a common theme with complex drumming, thick tones, and guitars simply gushing with reverb and tremolo. Dynamically varied, standout tracks include “Who is Bozo Texino” and its Mexicali-twang flavoring that evokes the image of a middle-of-the-desert tequila bender in a David Lynch movie. “Don’t Worry Pigeon” is an eight-plus-minute brew of shimmery guitar that concludes with a gorgeous all-out rock-out. And the driving fierceness of “Colossus of Rhoads,” the record’s final track, delivers a hypnotic piece of post-rock/fusion mastery.

Brokeback and the Black Rock is a no-brainer for folks who dig bands like Banyan and, of course, Tortoise. But it’s also for anyone who appreciates an outstanding rhythm section pushing interesting song structures, topped with emotion-rich storytelling that’s done through a guitar.

Must-hear track: “The Wire, the Rag, and the Payoff ”

Associate Editor Rich Osweiler started playing guitar at the tender age of 8, but over the years bass has become his main instrument. Prior to joining Premier Guitar, Rich worked at Acoustic Guitar for close to 10 years, most recently as associate publisher and director of marketing. He loves all types of music—from gypsy jazz to lo-fi and grindcore—provided the genre name isn’t preceded by the “contemporary” tag. Outside of music, Rich enjoys travel, skiing, backpacking, and learning how to be a dad. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, daughter, and their dog, Kiko.